Apparatus for decorating mirrors



Patented July 2, 1929.

CHARLES R. LAUGEL, 0F BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOR DECORATING MIRRORS.

Application filed June 22, 1927. Serial No. 200,729.

My invention relates to apparatus for removing a predetermined area of the coating from a mirror for decorative purposes.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the class described which is arranged to produce a particularly clear and distinct line of demarcation at the edges of the unremoved coating portions defining an area from which the coating has been removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the class described which I may be used repeatedly.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the character described such that only the outline of an area of the coating to be removed is arranged to be defined thereby.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage,.some of which, with the foregoing, will beset forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that I donot limit myself to the showing made by the said drawings and description as I may adopt variations of the preferred form within the scope of my invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a template forming part of the apparatus of my invention operatively mounted on and against the silvered side of a mirror to be decorated.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 in Figure 1, the thickness of the various layers being exaggerated.

Fig. 3 is a sectional viewof the mirror taken on the line 2-2 after the picture has been mounted on the mirror. a

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a modified use of the apparatus.

In decorating mirrors on their silvered sides, experience has shown that covering over the back of the decorative matter with silvering is generally unsatisfactory, chiefly because the silvering tends to corrosively act on the color pigments of the decorative matter and cree 'inwardl alon its ed es to P y z: a

spoil its appearance. It accordingly becomes necessary that the silveri'ng do not overlie the decorative matter and that sharp and distinct boundaries be provided about the edge of the decorative matter at its juncture with the silvering. Furthermore, quantity production favors the use of presilvered stock glass, it being noted that the method of my invention is applicable to different varieties of pre-silvered mirror glass without regard to the nature of the silvering thereon. I

As herewith particularly shown my invention is utilized in ellect-ing the placing on the silvered side of a mirror 6 of a deeorative figure, or picture, 7 of desired shape and color. The mirror 6, it will be noted, comprises a sheet of glass 8 having one side thereof covered with an adhering coat of silvering 9 which is in turn covered with, a filling and binding layer 11 of a suitable material such as shellac and an overlying protective coating 12 of an asphaltic varnish or the like. To provide for the-placing of the picture 7 on the mirror the method of my invention includes the removal of a suitably shaped portion of the silvering and other coatings, after which the figure 7 may be directly painted on the glass in the area provided therefor or may, as is herewith particularly shown, he provided in the form of a picture previously formed on a surface of a suitable backing material 13 therefoit which may be glued to the glass with its picture-side thereagainst;

As hereinbefore pointed out the provision o f a sharp outline at the juncture of the s lvering and the decorative figure is particularly desirable, and it is to a means for .providingsuch an outline that my invention.

particularly relates. Accordingly, and as here shown, I utilize a template 14 formed of sheet metal or..other shape-retaining material and having provided therein an'opening l6 definin the outline of the figure 7. With the templ ate removably fixed against the silvered side of theglass in desired position by means of suitable clamps 17 or the like,

the stream from a sand blast 5, Fig. 4, is directed within and against the template and exposed mirror-back portion until the coatings and silvering are removed. from the latter portion of the'mirror and the glass surface exposed to the-sand blast is ground somewhat whereby the figure7 may bev readily fixed thereto, it being particularly noted that the line of the edge of the silvering provided by the use of the template is particularly sharp and distinct.

It will now be noted that if a picture be placed behind a ground glass surface, aeertain amount of the detail thereof is lost, even though such surface be first treated with turpentine or other agent for increasing the transparency of a ground glass surface. Accordingly, the template is preferably arranged so that only the extreme boundary of the picture-receiving area is subjected to the action of the sand blast, after which the silvering and other coatings within the area are removed by some other method such as by scraping or the use of an etching acid whereby t 1e major portion of the glass surface covered by the picture has an unground surface. As here shown, the template is formed with an auxiliary section 18, such section being of the same outline as the opening 16 of the template and slightly smaller than such opening whereby it may be disposed and held as by a press screw 19 carried by and between a pair of the clamps 17 in said opening to define with the opposed edge thereof a relatively narrow space 21 defining the outline of the picture 7 preferably the space 21 is about one-eighth of an inch wide. The strip of ground glass surface produced by the sand-blasting is treated, as with turpentine, to make it as transparent as possible before applying the picture to the space provided therefor. After the picture is applied, coatings 22 and 23 corresponding respectively to the coatings 11 and 12 covering the silvering are preferably applied to the back thereof to protect the picture from air and moisture.

It will vnow be noted that the template provided, being formed of material which resists the action of the sand blast, may be used repeatedly, whereby an absolute constancy of results may be obtained in mounting pictures of a given outline on difierent mirrors. In this manner, the quantity production of decorated mirrors is facilitated and cheapened.

If desired, and as indicated in Figure 4, the use of the auxiliary template section 18 may be dispensed with whereby the entire area 24 of the glass 26 which is to receive.

the picture is ground, with the result that the picture is softened in appearance,as viewed from the front of the mirror, such effect being preferable in some instances.

I claim:

1. In apparatus for removing a predetermined area of the silvering from a mirror back, a pair of form retaining templates cooperative to define the shape of the outline of said area and parallelly spaced, and means for clamping said templates against said mirror back whereby the area defined between the parallelly spaced templates may have its s ilvering removed by sand-blasting to define the outline of said area to be removed.

2. In apparatus for removing a predetermined area of a coating from the back of a transparent plate, form-retaining templates cooperative to define the shape of the outline of said area and generally parallelly spaced, and means for non-adherently securing said templates against said plate back whereby the area defined between the parallelly spaced templates may have its coating removed to define the outline of the entire area to be removed, and the templates may be removed for repeated use.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

CHARLES R, LAUGEL. 

